Before Blake could even say thanks, Midir grabbed him by the collar and tossed him aside. At the same time, the giant hand of frost in the air was shattered by the ribbon, turning into a shower of ice shards.
“Go! You’re just a liability here! Get the soldiers away; this isn’t a fight ordinary people can get involved in!”
Midir turned and pointed his sword at Azura. A vortex of flames erupted, trapping the man in a swirling inferno, as Midir shouted back at the discarded Blake.
“Right... I understand!”
Blake scrambled up from the ground and looked at Midir’s back. He gave a weak response before quickly retreating, shouting orders to the nearby soldiers to clear the area for the three combatants.
“Aila, any suggestions?”
Midir kept his eyes on the shrinking vortex in the air while glancing toward Aila for input.
Aila turned and rolled her eyes at him. She tossed her broken blade aside and spoke with a frown.
“Do you think I’m some kind of goddess? We’re facing one of the peaks of humanity. There aren't many tricks I can just pull out of a hat.”
“So you're saying we have to do this the hard way? Then I’ll pin him down first. You try to think of something!”
Before he could finish, Azura broke free from the flames. Protected by his black armor, he seemed unscathed. He cracked his neck, let out a low growl, and charged toward them like a black storm.
Infused with Battle Qi, the Azure Moon Ribbon twisted eerily in the air, making its trajectory impossible to predict. Midir had no choice but to condense a massive cage of ice in mid-air to trap him.
However, the thick ice walls didn't even last two seconds before shattering under Azura's assault. Realizing the ice was useless, Midir gritted his teeth, unfurled his wings of wind element, and met the charge, using Starflame to block the momentum.
As Midir swung his longsword, the ribbon around Azura quickly folded into the shape of an azure broadsword to parry the blow.
This was Midir’s first time dueling someone of the Sword Saint rank. He felt as if Starflame was pressing against a massive mountain; the pressure was almost suffocating. But instead of intimidating him, it only fueled his competitive spirit.
He could feel the powerful wind-attribute Battle Qi radiating from the Azure Moon Ribbon. Azura was like a hedgehog now, constantly firing off dense wind blades that left bloody gashes across Midir's body.
The violent collision of the two instantly triggered a terrifying shockwave above the wall. It swept through the surroundings like a hurricane. Soldiers who hadn't retreated in time were knocked off balance, staring up with eyes full of terror and shock at the two figures clashing in the sky.
“Hey! Wake up! Can you hear me?”
Midir pushed with all his might, shouting at the face hidden behind the black faceplate.
The only response he received was a merciless heavy kick that sent him flying dozens of meters away, tracing a harrowing arc through the air.
The intense pain made him tumble uncontrollably before he managed to steady himself. A wave of nausea washed over him. He forced it down, spitting out a glob of saliva mixed with blood.
“If we can't talk, I guess I’ll just have to beat you into submission!”
Midir charged forward again. Halfway there, he saw the Azure Moon Ribbon shooting toward him, but this time he was prepared.
His figure flickered and merged into the void, causing the unstoppable attack to pass through nothing but air, leaving only fading afterimages behind.
When he reappeared, he was directly above Azura. Taking advantage of the fact that the Azure Moon Ribbon hadn't returned yet, he thrust Starflame downward, the blade shimmering with a brilliant white light.
Just as Midir’s sword was about to reach Azura’s forehead, a surge of turquoise Battle Qi erupted from Azura’s body, wrapping around him like an indestructible barrier.
The tip of Starflame was forced to a halt just centimeters away from the barrier. Despite its flickering light, it couldn't advance an inch.
Seeing this, Midir’s mind raced. The light on his blade suddenly shifted, changing from pure white to a cyan-blue that resonated with Azura’s Battle Qi.
After switching the weapon's element to wind, his blade suddenly dipped, approaching with a whistle that tore through the air. This change forced Azura into a defensive posture for the first time.
He reached out with his free hand, catching the blade of Starflame with incredible strength. The two forces ground against each other with an ear-piercing screech of metal, sending sparks flying everywhere.
At the same time, the Azure Moon Ribbon returned with even more ferocious Battle Qi, aiming straight for Midir’s throat.
Sensing the lethal threat, Midir was forced to use teleportation again, narrowly avoiding the ribbon's killing blow.
Starflame transformed into a streak of blue light and merged back into the mark on the back of his hand, waiting for the next summon.
The two engaged in a fierce exchange in the air. Every collision was accompanied by the roar of Battle Qi and the flash of sword light, yet neither seemed able to gain the upper hand.
Instead, the aftershocks of their battle were indiscriminately battering the surroundings. Even the fortress wall beneath them, once considered indestructible, began to tremble under the force as cracks spread across its surface.
“Is this the power of a Sword Saint? It’s a pity I can’t use large-scale magic here, or pinning him down wouldn’t be a problem. How do I break this stalemate?”
Midir’s brow furrowed as his gaze shifted between the damaged wall and his opponent, searching for a way to break the deadlock.
“Give me a moment to pin Azura down! I’ll try to break through his defense!”
Just as Midir was struggling with the situation, Aila’s voice reached his ears. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw her flying high into the sky on Kiteclaw, her body glowing with a brilliant golden light.
Midir looked up and gave Aila a firm nod. Then, his body blurred as he launched another rapid assault on Azura.
But this time, he didn't summon Starflame to trade blows. Instead, he used his seemingly ordinary black base layer as a medium to skillfully fuse the various elements of the world, weaving together a multi-layered armor that shimmered with the brilliant colors of a rainbow.
The armor was not only stunningly beautiful but also pulsed with an incredible surge of mana.
Facing the whistling Azure Moon Ribbon, the armored Midir charged forward without fear, accurately grabbing the blade that intended to cleave him in two.
Immediately, a powerful surge of wind magic erupted from his armor, clashing with and neutralizing the wind Battle Qi coiled around the ribbon. Even Azura hadn't expected a mage to use such a suicidal combat style.
Taking advantage of Azura's momentary lapse, Midir exerted a sudden burst of strength, yanking the Azure Moon Ribbon toward him. Caught off guard, Azura was pulled right in front of Midir, only to be met by a fist glowing with prismatic light.
The punch was incredibly heavy, leaving a startling crack on the black faceplate. Before Azura could react, Midir swung again. This time, the cracked faceplate finally gave way, shattering into countless fragments that scattered into the air.
Once the black faceplate was destroyed, Midir finally saw Azura's true face.
Just like the rescued Duke Rowena and the others, Azura's face was exceptionally gaunt. His skin was as pale as paper, and his sunken eye sockets held eyes that had lost all their luster, making him look like a walking skeleton.
At the center of his forehead, a black crystal emitted a faint, eerie glow under the reflection of Midir's mana.
“As I thought, he’s also become a puppet of the Void Demons. Aila, how much longer?”
Midir shouted anxiously toward Aila above while using all his strength to suppress Azura. His hands were like iron pincers, locking Azura’s arms and pinning both of them against the fortress wall, leaving a deep crater.
Azura struggled violently under Midir's weight, his eyes flickering with resentment and madness. However, the extreme cold radiating from Midir’s arms acted like an icy cage, repeatedly suppressing the bursts of power before they could erupt.
Midir was giving it everything he had. His handsome face was flushed red from the exertion, and the veins on his forehead bulged, giving him a fierce appearance.
However, even with Midir giving his all, suppressing a Sword Saint with brute force alone was no easy feat. Moreover, Midir was essentially a mage; his physical strength wasn't enough to sustain such a confrontation for long.
At this critical moment, the Azure Moon Ribbon in Azura’s hand regained its mobility. It acted like a waking python, quickly coiling around Midir’s body and beginning to constrict and slice into him.
The elemental armor let out a piercing screech under the ribbon's sharpness, sounding as if it would shatter at any moment.
“Almost there! I told you I’m not used to this yet! Just hold on a little longer!” Aila’s strained voice answered.
By now, Aila had condensed all her War God Battle Qi into a short dagger in her hand.
Once the golden light on her body had completely merged into the weapon, she leaped from Kiteclaw's back, hurtling toward the tangled pair like a golden meteor.
The golden light struck the black crystal on Azura’s forehead with unmatched precision and force, smashing it into shards. A portion of the dispersing War God Battle Qi followed the blade into the Gale Sword Saint's forehead, momentarily blinding Midir.
Midir was forced to close his eyes against the sudden burst of golden Battle Qi. The intense light was mixed with a scorching heat that made him flinch.
In that hazy moment, he felt a warm liquid splash across his face, carrying a faint, metallic scent of blood.
Rate on N.U.
